AUBURN — A school employee ending his shift at the Julia Bancroft Elementary School accidentally crashed his pickup into the front entrance doors of the school, according to officials.

The employee, a 30-year-old custodian, was having trouble starting his truck about 9 p.m., when it suddenly lurched forward into the building, according to police Sgt. Daniel Lamoreaux. The truck, a Ford F150, took out the glass exterior double doors and then crashed through a second set of interior storm doors further inside the building, Fire Capt. Greg Morin said.

Joseph Fahey, director of facilities for the Auburn Public Schools, said the school will be ready to open as usual Thursday morning.

"You couldn't ask for a better spot for it (the truck to hit)," Mr. Fahey said. "Two feet to the right, you would have had structural damage."

Mr. Fahey gives credit to the custodial crew for students not having to miss a day of school because of the accident.

"Our second-shift custodial crew was just about to go off shift. We called them in to do the cleanup," Mr. Fahey said. "This happened, probably, about 9 o'clock. Their shift ended at 10. So we had them stand back, finish off their regular buildings, then come over once the commotion had ended, once the building inspector deemed the building safe."

Mr. Fahey said a "game plan" is in place for students to come in a side door, instead of the front entrance (which was hit). He said the truck went through the front doors and interior fire doors and stopped but damaged a third set of interior security doors.